Electric machines commonly employ stators having one or more windings. The windings often take the form of a conductive wire having an outer electrically insulative layer. During manufacture of the electric machine, the ends of the windings must be connected to the appropriate electric machine component. For example, in vehicle alternators, a terminal assembly is often used to electrically connect stator winding leads to diodes which rectify the alternating current (AC) generated by the alternator into direct current (DC) that is used to charge the vehicle battery. The stator leads must be connected to the conductive track of the terminal assembly.
Conventionally, the process to connect the winding lead to the terminal assembly involves stripping the outer insulative layer of the winding and then welding or soldering the conductive core of the winding to the conductive track of the terminal assembly.
The process of stripping or removing the outer insulative layer from the winding can be difficult. As a result, the stripping process reduces the efficiency of the manufacturing process and oftentimes leads to an inferior connection quality.
Improvements in the process of manufacturing such electrical machines is desirable.